Inside Info: Connor Fearon – Meribel

Meribel was a new World Cup track for the riders and required quite some getting use to.

We check in with Connor Fearon for his last report from World Cups in 2014;

So the World Cup finals where in Meribel, France. I had never been there before nor had I heard much about the track although being a European track there was a high chance of it being a steep “proper” downhill track. Fortunately it was probably the best track of the season! Mainly natural rough terrain with deep dirt, lots of roots and minimal pedalling. I was sitting 25th overall in the points coming into the final race and the points where very close either side, so I could either move up or down the ranks depending how I went in the race. Moving down in the ranks wasn’t something I wanted to do and I’ve had a string of good results so I had high hopes. The first practice day proved the track to be pretty difficult. It had rained the night before and made the track pretty wet so some of the harder sections felt quite slow. Since the track was relatively fresh each run I did on the track there where new lines getting ridden down the whole track. In fact from the first day of practice to my race run I was essentially riding a different track from taking different lines the whole way down. One thing I struggled with on the track was just learning the course. There was a lot to think about and there’s not very much practice at a World Cup. Your qualifying run is probably your 6th or 7th run down the track for the weekend and if it’s a new track like Meribel you’ve never ridden before it makes it even harder.

Qualifying was important for Connor and his chances of moving up in the overall standings.

I had a bit of pressure on me for qualifying because the top 20 qualifiers get points towards the overall which I desperately needed. I had a solid run and qualified 17th. I was still learning the track so I was confident if I walked the track and had good runs in Saturday morning I could improve. Race day rolled around and I felt confident. As far as changes to the bike go I didn’t make many I was using the Maxxis Shorty tyres for the first time at a race, mainly due to half the track was really dry and dusty and half was still wet and muddy. The shorty is a good spike that worked well in both applications. My race run was good I felt like I was to conservative at the top so I let the brakes off a bit to the bottom and had a few close calls but held it together to finish 13th.

Finishing the year in 20th with tow less than ideal races is a great achievement.

Out of the last four races I’ve actually competed In I have had a 9th, 13th, 14th and the worst was a 17th. This is the form I wanted for the whole season but have had some bad luck with a crash at cairns and was sick for Mont St Anne. I finished 20th overall which is great considering my year. Next and finally on the calendar this year is the World Championships in Norway. The track is not my favourite but looking forward to the whole event and finally flying home for the year. Thanks to all that help me Kona Bikes, Fox Head, SRAM, Rockshox, Stans No Tubes, Maxxis, Truvativ, Yakima racks, Jarah Breese/Swift Performance, HT Pedals.

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September 2, 2014

Inside Info: Connor Fearon – North America

Connor Fearon at MSA the race didn't go as plan for him though.... — Connor Fearon at MSA the race didn’t go as plan for him though….

There was a big 6 week gap spanning from Leogang to the Canada World Cup so I went home and trained for a couple weeks then travelled to Bromont, Quebec to base myself for a couple weeks before the World Cup. I trained and rode my downhill bike a lot at the bike park. At home we don’t have the luxury of chair lift accessible trails and it’s also winter so I wasn’t riding to much downhill at home.

As some of you might already know MSA didn’t go to plan at all. I had a infected graze that I got from crashing in Bromont a few days prior to the race. On the Thursday and Friday (practice day and qualifying day) I felt really tired and I wasn’t having fun on my bike. I had no idea why but I wasn’t riding well and I didn’t even want to ride. Turns out it was the start of the infection hitting me. To make things worse I got a flat tyre in qualifying so I acquired no points, although being a top 20 rider I was luckily auto qualified. I went to the doctor after qualifying because my elbow was slightly swollen and got a iv drip and anti-biotics.
I woke up on race day with the biggest swellbo ever. It was really sore to move and I felt really sick, dazed and had a headache. There was no way I could race and I was devastated. I was plate number 16 and my goal this year was to finish top 15, so missing a race definitely has made it a lot harder to reach the goal!

The life and times of a pro rider isn't all beer and Skittles! — The life and times of a pro rider isn’t all beer and Skittles!

Luckily after 4 days of getting IV drips at 2 different hospitals and a course of oral antibiotics the infection had cleared and I was good to go for Windham. I have raced at Windham twice now in 2011 and 2012. Neither times I got a result worth remembering because I had rode off the track in the same infamous rock garden both times. The track is really short, rough and fast. The times are always really close so everyone pushes to the limit making it a very hard race.

On the hunt but a massive infection meant the closest Connor got to racing was the sideline!

I had so much fun riding the track and felt really good. I was slightly disappointed when I qualified 22nd though. I worked on a few things in practice to gain some time, although it all really comes down to just riding really fast because there’s not many lines to change. My race run was good I made a few little mistakes but it was hard not to because you have to push so hard. I ended up 17th, I wanted to be further up the ranks but not a bad result coming from the infection. Unfortunately after coming into wc #5 with the number 16 plate I moved back to 23 after missing Mont st Anne and despite finishing 17th at Windham I moved back to 25. It’s a little depressing working so hard and being back where I finished last year, I have one more World Cup to try to reel back some positions.

A top 20 in Windham didn't move Connor back into the top 20 overall, one more race remains for Connor to do so. — A top 20 in Windham didn’t move Connor back into the top 20 overall, one more race remains for Connor to do so.

One thing worth mentioning is that I was fastest rider on a 26″ wheel. I can’t use it as an excuse but I think it is making it a little more difficult competing against everyone with the 650b wheels when there’s a small but obvious advantage. Things are in the works and I’m sure it won’t be to long before Kona have a 650b bike for me to race.
The last few weeks has made me realise in this sport nothing you can do will guarantee success. Weather you get sick, crash, get a mechanical, ride out of your ability or keep it to safe it all makes it hard to have a perfect race or season.
So right now I’m sitting in Montreal Airport about to fly to whistler. I’m really looking forward to riding the best tracks in the world and do some races that aren’t so serious and don’t come with all the pressure of a World Cup. Massive thanks to all the people that help me out especially Kona Bikes, SRAM, Rockshox, Stans No Tubes, Maxxis, Truvativ, Yakima Racks, Swift Supplements and Breese High Performance.

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August 13, 2014

Inside Info: Connor Fearon – Austria

Leogang has been a happy hunting ground for Connor in the past and he was keen to head there again this year!

Connor Fearon gives us his exclusive wrap up from the best result, to date, of his career, you know the drill; For us racers we didn’t really have a break between Fort William and Leogang, we spend Monday and Tuesday travelling the distance from Scotland to Austria and Wednesday we start setting up tents for the Leogang World Cup. So it’s two big weeks for everyone involved in the World Cup series. In a way I sort of wish we had more consecutive races like this, instead of having 7 races strung out over half a year. Anyway, I’ve always done pretty good at Leogang. 2012 I got 3rd at the junior world championships and 2013 I finished 10th overall and that was my best result until now. Last week I finished 14th in Scotland so I was looking forward to crack into the top 10 here again.

The track had a new rock section up near the top to keep things different.

The track had changed quite a lot since last year. The top third of the track had been completely reconstructed. Where there used to be a lot of turns they replaced with a few man made rock gardens and straight sections. I didn’t really like the look of it and after riding it on Friday I was even less of a fan. In good new the rest of the track was the same with a pretty unchallenging middle section that is flat with jumps in it and the bottom section was quite steep and technical, this is where I usually make up some time on the stronger riders who excel in the middle pedalling section. I struggled quite a bit with practice on Friday. My bike which was set up perfectly for the Fort William track wasn’t quite working for the track in Leogang so we made a lot of changes to my suspension and other things like ride height to cater for the different style of track. I talked to a lot of other riders who where having difficulty getting comfortable on the track as well.

I was happy when I qualified 11th because it reassured me I was at the same point as last year. The times where really, really tight. I knew anybody in the top 15 probably had a good chance of finishing in the top 5.

A solid qualifying result set Connor up well for finals. However, with the times so close a pinned run would be required.

I could go on for ages about my race run but i’ll keep it short, it was really good I hit a lot of lines better than I had in practice but made a pretty decent mistake at the bottom which definitely cost me. I honestly think I would have been close if not on the podium if I hadn’t made the mistake. I ended up 9th only 2.6 seconds off 1st place and a mere .7 of a second from 5th position. But it makes me realise that there where a handful of other riders saying “what if” as well, like Bruni who was undoubtedly the fastest rider on the day to crash at the bottom and finish in the thirties. I’ve come away from this race slightly disappointed but also hopeful that one day i’ll get on that podium. There’s a pretty big gap from now until Mont Saint Anne so I’m headed home to get a few good weeks of training in before heading back to Canada. Thanks to all my sponsors and people that help me out Kona Bikes, Fox, Maxxis, SRAM, Rockshox, Avid, Truvativ, Stans and Yakima rack.

With his best result to date in the bag it is on to Mont Sainte Anne, a different style of track to Leogang!

What a result for Connor! We can’t help but feel that podium can’t be too far away, next we head to Canada for the legendary Mont Sainte Anne!

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June 19, 2014

Inside Info: Connor Fearon – Scotland

#22 Chad Reed! No in this case it is Connor Fearon... — #22 Chad Reed! No in this case it is Connor Fearon…

After the Cairns World Cup didn’t go the way I planned I headed home for about 4 weeks in preparation for the next round, Fort William. The time seemed to go really quick but I got a solid few weeks of training in. In the past the Fort Bill World Cup has treated me well. Last year at the season opener there I finished up 21st so a top 20 was definitely on the cards for this weekend. It’s always a long haul coming from South Australia to the UK it takes almost two days spent aboard the big bird. With the worst of the travelling done I arrived in Glasgow on Tuesday and Matty my mechanic picked me up and we drove the last 3 hours to Fort William. Wednesday was spent building up my race bike and new Process 153 which is sick, we got a trail ride in beside Loch Ness.. Unfortunately no monster was spotted but I’m still a believer!

Sending some of the bigger jumps on the course.

As usual the downhill track is the same as the last 2 years I’ve been racing here. I won’t bore you with the details as everyone knows about the track. Fast, rough, open etc… We got to walk the track and register on Thursday. My overall was down to 22nd so I was rocking Chad Reeda��s number for the week. I was really excited to start riding on Friday, I hardly took any breaks in practice because I was having so much fun. After a few runs and a couple changes to my suspension my bike was feeling so smooth down the track it gave me lots of confidence. Qualifiers were good, the track was really dry and slippery because of the loose gravel type of surface. I had a good run and finished 19th. A good result showing what I was capable of.

A solid qualifying result set Connor up well for finals.

It rained on Saturday night but just enough to make the track tacky so it was a little faster for Sunday! Saturday/race day is pretty much the same at every race. I do 2 practice runs then wait around nervously for finals.

2 practice runs on Sunday morning then this, finals!

It rained a tiny bit while I was going up in the gondola for my race but not enough to make a difference. I warmed up as usual and my run was really good. I felt I was on edge the top half of the track but started to fade and make a few mistakes down the bottom. I pedalled hard at the bottom but I wasn’t as strong as most of the other riders which is something to work on. I finished 14th which is an excellent result but the times were so tight if I was half a second faster I would have been in 9th position. After the weekend my overall is down to 19th which means I automatically qualify for Leogang this weekend. Last season I got my best result there with 10th so I will be looking for another top 10 this time around! Thanks to everyone that helps me; Kona Bikes, Fox Head, SRAM/Rockshox/Avid/Truvativ, Yakima Racks, Stans No Tubes, Maxxis and of course Downhill247.

Physically draining as well as technical, Fort William is a proper track, 14th gets Connor sitting inside the top 20 overall.

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June 13, 2014

Inside Info: Fektor Clothing

Fektor have been on the scene for a few years now and are getting a wider following but for a good reason.

You’ve probably seen Fektor on riders out at races across the country and they have just dropped a new range of goods but we thought we would dig a little deeper and get the true Inside Info. Incidentally we met the main main behind Fektor, Brett, in Whistler many years ago, we heard he wanted to hike-a-bike up a big mountain side glacier just to ride back down, pretty impressive. In the years since, Brett has come back to Australia and started Fektor, you might have watched his ‘Top 5’ edits which are now something of an institution. With that in mind we had a chat to Brett, here is what he had to say:

Hi Brett, thanks for talking to us, before we launch into Fektor can you tell us a little about yourself and your riding history:

I grew up on the outskirts of Melbourne. Starting racing BMX when I was seven. I was introduced to mountain bikes when I was 11 and got my first downhill bike when I was 12 back in 99. It was a pretty red Craftworks. Raced a bunch of Vic and national rounds over the years and ended up spending 2 A? years in Whistler. So yea, been pretty obsessed with DH ever since I was introduced to it.

Thanks to marketing departments everywhere the term 'by riders, for riders' has been over used but when we say it applies to Fektor, we mean it! Boss man throwing down. — Thanks to marketing departments everywhere the term ‘by riders, for riders’ has been over used but when we say it applies to Fektor, we mean it! Boss man throwing down.

Okay so Fektor, first of all what does it mean? And the cool key logo is that significant:

Fektor is a word derived from my racing days. We were originally called Yum Cha Racing and grew into team Fektor B. Fektor doesna��t quite have a meaning as such, but it does represent the great times I had/have racing with my best friends. The key represents strength and works well into the word Fektor.

You have just launched your next release, there are some fresh threads, can you tell us little about it, where the inspiration came from:

With the new release we wanted to provide a premium product that’s comfortable to wear, fits well and isna��t going to break the bank. Our printing and embroidery is done locally. Quality was very important. Our pocket teea��s are handmade with every pocket being a little different. ita��s nice to have control to put small finishing touches on each piece.

Little details, like pockets that are all slightly different but done locally all combine to make things just a bit different.

There are some cool little tag lines used across the range a�?Trick. Fast. Rad.a�� Any hidden meanings:

Do tricks, go fast and be rad. pretty much sums up what Fektora��s about.

Bretta��s top 5 (and sometimes 10!) edits have been must watch for a little while now, what do you hope to achieve every time you do one:

I thought it was a different take on how a race is recapped. The top 5a��s encourage people to have fun and follow our motto, trick, fast, rad. Often riders will be missed or overlooked based on their result. When you film something and ita��s awesome, it doesn’t matter whoa��s behind the bars. If somethinga��s awesome it just is.

Fektor is not just about clothing, can you explain in your own words what you see Fektor representing:

Fektor is a company representing a passion for an industry that it loves and supports. We love riding bikes plain and simple. Our company was founded on that premise and will always stick to it.

Your heading overseas this year to the Windham and Mont Sainte Anne World Cups, what can we expect from there, any clues:

Well plans are a little hush hush, but I can tell you that I will be hitting up a bunch of bicycle hot spots this season. We will be supporting a new media company so keep your eyes peeled. Lots of projects coming up and we can’t wait.

Mr Fektor himself in the middle flanked by photograph extraordinaire Jason Stevens. We would like to tell you who the model on Brett's right is but we can't, sorry...! — Mr Fektor himself in the middle flanked by photograph extraordinaire Jason Stevens. We would like to tell you who the model on Brett’s right is but we can’t, sorry…!

Thanks Brett for the chat, sounds like some great plans are a foot for the remainder of the year, if you are keen to show your support for this independent company check outA�www.fektorclothing.comA�or on Facebook www.facebook.com/Fektor

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June 2, 2014

Inside Info: The Hutchison UR Team Mother Ship!

The pit set ups at World Cups is a pretty impressive site!

One of the most important tools in any racers quest to win is their team van/truck/pit set up. Not only do the team mechanics do their thing from it but it gives the riders somewhere to relax, get out of the public eye at races, store all their gear, etc basically it is a home away from home. There are some impressive rigs out there but one of the most dialed setups goes to Hutchinson UR and their mother ship! This is the same beast that Australia’s own Mic and Tracey Hannah call home for a large part of the year. Check out how it transformed over the months to become the beast that it is today!

Not too impressive to look at, this is how she started off!

It was actually a super market delivery truck that was then converted into a rally team's transporter before the Hutchinson guys got onto it! — It was actually a super market delivery truck that was then converted into a rally team’s transporter before the Hutchinson guys got onto it!

The team did everything themselves. These photos of the grinding also cost Tim the photographer a lens courtesy of the flying sparks!

"From welding to painting, cutting out new windows to replacing entire panels" the team did it all! — “From welding to painting, cutting out new windows to replacing entire panels” the team did it all!

One of the coolest features of the truck is the top deck, where people can hang on top of the trailer to get a prime view over the pits and surrounds.

After all the work was completed a fresh lick of pain to give her that factory look!

Set up in all her glory, you can see the top deck here.

With all the races the team attends the mothership covers some kilometres!

It is a real shame these truck stay in Europe and couldn’t make the trip over to races such as the Cairns World Cup, they add another dimension to the race experience!

Images courtesy: Hutchinson UR/ Tim Bardsley-Smith

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May 15, 2014